No. 3 Georgia Tech Hosts NCAA Tennis Regional Saturday, Sunday

Making its eighth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, the third-ranked Georgia Tech women’s tennis team opens play this weekend by hosting the NCAA Atlanta Regional, Saturday and Sunday at the Bill Moore Tennis Center. Tech’s first-round opponent is Furman, while Kentucky and Arizona meet in other first-round match.

Georgia Tech (23-4), the No. 3 national seed, and Furman (16-9) meet at 12 noon Saturday, followed by Arizona (9-13) versus Kentucky (18-7) at 3 p.m. The winners of Saturday’s matches will square off in the second round Sunday at 12 noon for a slot in the Sweet-16, which will be held at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. May 18-22. Following the team tournament, the singles and doubles championships will also be held at the University of Georgia from May 23-28.

All tickets will be sold at the gate, which will open one hour prior to the first match on Saturday. Fans may also call 1-888-TECH-TIX for details or consult the website.

“It is quite an honor for us to host, and I’m so proud of our team and the season that we have had so far,” said Georgia Tech head coach Bryan Shelton. “We still have our work cut out for us, with tough teams in Kentucky, Arizona and Furman coming in. We are looking no further than Furman, however, as they enter with a great record. We’re excited about the opportunity that we’ve been given in hosting and we’re hoping that the stands are full of white and gold, cheering on the Yellow Jackets.”

With the 2007 bid, Georgia Tech will be making its eighth-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championships after never earning a bid prior to 2000. The Yellow Jackets are 8-7 all-time in NCAA competition, and have advanced to the second round in six of seven appearances in the postseason tournament, including their best showing, Sweet-16 appearances, in 2005 and 2006.

The Yellow Jackets have hosted a regional in each of the last two seasons, posting wins over Winthrop and Pepperdine in 2005 and Southeastern Louisiana and Pennsylvania in 2006.

The Yellow Jackets earned an automatic bid for the third time in the history of the program by earning its third-straight ACC Championship a week ago with a 4-1 win over Miami in the title match.

Defending NCAA Champion Stanford (20-1) is the top seed as the Cardinal’s only loss this season was to the Yellow Jackets in the ITA National Indoor Team Championships in February. The University of Georgia (21-1), the host school for the 2007 NCAA Tennis Championships, is the No. 2 seed. Following the Stanford and Georgia in the top-16 seeding are (in order): Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Clemson, Southern Cal, Miami (Fla.), California, North Carolina, UCLA, Baylor, Fresno State, William & Mary and Vanderbilt.

Along with Georgia Tech, 2007 NCAA Regionals will also be hosted by each of the top-16 seeds.

The Yellow Jackets are one of nine Atlantic Coast Conference teams to earn bids to this year’s NCAA Championships, while 10 men’s ACC teams earned a postseason nod, including Georgia Tech, who will travel to Tallahassee to face Florida in the first round.

The fields for the NCAA singles and doubles championships will be released on Wednesday at www.ncaasports.com by 6 p.m. ET.

ENTERING THE NCAA REGIONAL

Fans are directed to enter at the outer gate between the upper and lower tennis courts along Fowler Street, as there will be NO public access through the Indoor Tennis Center.

RECOMMENDED PARKING

Parking for the 2007 NCAA Regional at Georgia Tech is free of charge and is available first-come, first-served, in the following areas: Alexander Memorial Coliseum (Large lot between coliseum and interstate off 10th Street) O’Keefe Parking Lot (6th Street off Fowler Street) and along Fowler Street (off 10th Street). Note: The 12th-14th weekend of May will also be a busy one on campus, as Georgia Tech is hosting a track meet, along with an AAU Basketball Tournament at the Coliseum.

DIRECTIONS TO BILL MOORE TENNIS CENTER

The Bill Moore Tennis Center is located on the campus of Georgia Tech at the corner of 10th Street and Fowler Street.

From North of Atlanta:

Traveling south on I-75 or I-85, exit at 17th Street/14th Street/10th Street. Continue to 10th Street and turn right (west) on 10th Street. At the first light, turn left onto Fowler Street.

To reach Bill Moore Tennis Center: Tennis center is immediately on the right.

To reach O’Keefe Lot: From Fowler Street, turn left onto 6th Street. Entrance to O’Keefe Lot is on the left.

From East or West of Atlanta:

Take I-20 East or West to Atlanta. From I’20, go North on I-75/I-85. Exit at 10th Street/14th Street and turn left onto 10th Street. Cross the interstate, and at the second traffic light, turn left onto Fowler Street.

To reach Bill Moore Tennis Center: Tennis center is immediately on the right.